MASON – Battle Creek Central was going to have to do something no other team has been able to do this season if it wanted to advance past East Lansing in the Class A regional semifinal at Mason High School.

The Trojans entered the game with a perfect 22-0 record, with much loftier goals than a regional title, and didn’t let the Bearcats stick around for long on Monday.

The Bearcats scored just seven points in each of the first three quarters, while East Lansing knocked down seven 3-pointers in the contest on its way to a 52-34 regional semifinal victory.

“When a team is knocking down threes, it kinda takes the wind out of your sails.” said Battle Creek Central head coach Durant Crum. “We felt like we were playing decent defense. The energy was there…but they just knocked down some open shots right there in the first quarter.

“What can you say? They’re a good shooting team and they came out clicking on all cylinders and we were unable to match.”

Both teams came out with tons of energy, but the Trojans knocked down four triples, two of which were from well beyond the arc, to take a 14-7 lead into the second quarter.

The Trojans knocked down two more 3-point-baskets in the second, quickly taking a double-digit advantage at 19-9, and expanding the lead to 27-14 by halftime.

“They’ve got good ball handlers,” Crum said. “They penetrate well. They force you to leave your guys and help out because they’re getting penetration, and then they’ve got guys waiting on you to leave and they kick it to them and knock down the shot.”

In the third quarter, the Trojan lead was stretched to 20 points when East Lansing’s Caleb Hoekstra found the bottom of the net from 3-point-land for the fourth time in the contest. Hoekstra scored a game-high 17 points.

Battle Creek Central’s Cyntell Williams scored back-to-back layups early in the fourth to get the game to within 11 points at 39-28, but East Lansing killed the Bearcat momentum fairly quickly with an 11-0 run, effectively ending BCC’s chances of a comeback.

“We just wanted to see if we could dictate the tempo, but we couldn’t force their hand much. We got them to cough up the ball a few times, but they were pretty composed, played real well together, spaced the floor well, and were just able to do the things they wanted to do.”

East Lansing’s Brandon Johns scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the win, while DeAdnre’ Robinson chipped in with 10 points.

For the Bearcats, Brett White led the team with eight points, followed by Jahmiel Wade with seven and Williams with six.

Despite Monday’s regional semifinal loss, the Bearcats had a positive season, finishing 17-7 with a new coach.

“Overall I think it was a good year,” Crum commented. “We anticipated that it would be a transition with a new coach, and guys getting used to me and understanding what I wanted and needed them to do.

“Obviously you’re gonna feel bad when you lose this time of year, but they have a lot to feel good about. I’m pretty pleased and definitely proud of what we were able to accomplish this year.”

Class C Regional

Homer held off Niles Brandywine, 55-52, in a Class C regional semifinal at Gobles. Homer advances to face Kalamazoo Hackett in the regional final on Wednesday. Homer improves to 16-8 on the season and will face an undefeated Kalamazoo Hackett team (23-0) that defeated Contantine in its regional semifinal.

Class D Regional

Morenci ended Bellevue’s season after a 50-42 win in this Class D regional semifinal at Litchfield. The Broncos, who have advanced to the regionals four straight years, end the season at 18-5.